What Could Shooting Pain Beneath My Shoulder Blade Mean?

Pain under your shoulder blade can take several forms, from tenderness and aches to sharp, sudden pain. The reasons for pain similarly have a wide range of explanations. Shooting pain beneath your shoulder blades may have several meanings. 

When you develop shoulder pain that interferes with your day-to-day tasks, pain specialist Rudy Malayil, MD, and our team at Pain Management 360 can help. We have three locations—Huntington, Hurricane, and Charleston, West Virginia—to serve you. 

Causes of sharp shoulder blade pain

Pain under your shoulder blade could start from reasons as simple as unbalanced posture or muscle overuse, or it could be as serious as a cardiac event. Sharp, shooting pain tends to originate as a symptom of several specific conditions. Today, we’ll look at four of the reasons you might be feeling shooting pain. 

Herniated disc

Though often associated with your lower back, disc herniation is also common in your cervical spine, the region that makes up the bones of your neck. In some cases, the pain from a herniated disc results from the compression or irritation of nerve root tissue, branching off from your spinal cord. 

When a nerve suffers from compression, pain symptoms may be at the point of irritation, or they could appear anywhere along the nerve’s path. 

While pain from herniation has a wide range of manifestations, including numbness and tingling, sharp, electrical pain can hit suddenly. There may also be a feeling of movement, the “shooting” part of the sharp pain. Fortunately, disc herniation usually resolves on its own with rest and conservative care. 

Dislocated ribs

A less common cause of shoulder blade pain, dislocated ribs can produce intense pain. It may feel difficult to draw a deep breath when a dislocation occurs. This can happen suddenly, when lifting overhead, or it may develop over time in the case of a repetitive strain injury. 

Compression fractures

Cervical vertebrae can be vulnerable to collapse, a condition called a compression fracture. These can occur due to a trauma injury such as a car accident or because of medical conditions like osteoporosis. 

Loss of bone density increases the size of voids within your vertebrae while decreasing the amount of bone tissue. Your vertebrae could collapse in on itself as it gets less dense and weaker. 

Heart conditions

Certain heart-related problems can present shoulder blade pain as a symptom. Heart attacks, particularly for women, can feature pain under the shoulder blades. You’ll likely have chest pain and other symptoms at the same time. 

A ruptured aorta, when a major blood vessel connected to your heart suffers a tear, is a medical emergency. Sharp and sudden pain in the middle of your back and under your shoulder blades commonly results. This is a condition that requires a 911 call for immediate care. 

Pulmonary embolisms, when a blood clot travels through your body before lodging in your lung, are a similar emergency. You’ll feel sharp pain under your shoulder blade with accompanying shortness of breath. 

Whenever you have pain under your shoulder blade that persists for a few days without improvement, contact Pain Management 360 by calling our location nearest you or clicking to request an appointment online. We’ll diagnose and treat your pain so you can get back to your life.